KOLKATA, November 8 (Aalimi Nation) – Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has alleged that his residence in south Kolkata was attacked in the early hours of Saturday, calling it the seventh attempt on his life in six months, while party chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of hooliganism. The BJP has rejected the charge, and police have said investigations are continuing.
Mr Banerjee alleged that people he described as BJP-backed attackers came to his Kalighat residence at about 2 am, after what he said was two days of reconnaissance around his home and offices. He had raised the surveillance concern on Friday. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Mamata Banerjee's response
Ms Banerjee, the Trinamool chief and a former Chief Minister of West Bengal, joined a protest after the incident. She said workers brought in from outside had created chaos in the neighbourhood, intimidated residents and disrupted religious celebrations during Kali Puja, and that the police had failed to prevent it.
"Who gave them the right to attack someone's residence at 3 am?" she asked. Her time differed from Mr Banerjee's account of about 2 am. She also said: "Run your bulldozer over my chest if you dare," adding that she would not bow to political oppression and was prepared to approach the Supreme Court if necessary.
She contrasted what she called intimidation on the ground with the BJP's "Gonotantra Bachao" rallies, which the party holds in the name of defending democracy.
The Kali Puja dispute
Ms Banerjee said devotees attending the Kali Puja held at her residence every year were being obstructed. She said a heavy police deployment and parked police vehicles made access difficult, and questioned why permission had been given for another puja on the main road that she said blocked the way to her home. The puja at her residence, she said, has always been held inside the premises and never at the entrance.
"Why are they allowing such obstructions instead of maintaining law and order?" she asked.
She also raised complaints about residents struggling to obtain stamp papers and complete affidavits, and alleged that affidavits were being prepared inside police stations. Police officers, she said, must remain neutral. "Nobody is above the law," she said.
BJP and police
BJP leader Dilip Ghosh rejected the Trinamool's claim, according to reports of the incident. No detailed statement from the Kolkata Police on the identity of those involved, any arrests or the sequence of events at the residence was available at the time of writing.
Background
Reports said Kolkata Police's special task force had earlier arrested a Mumbai man on the allegation that he had carried out reconnaissance near Mr Banerjee's residence and offices. The Trinamool has linked that case to claims made by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. The reports did not make clear how that arrest relates in time to Saturday's incident, and the BJP has not accepted any such link.
The exchange comes amid sharp political rivalry in West Bengal, where the Trinamool, now in opposition, and the BJP trade allegations frequently. Further statements from the police and the two parties are expected in the coming days.
